Many municipalities have launched campaigns to recycle refuse. It is now common to see "blue boxes" which glass and metal containers are deposited for recycling. Although the containers are relatively compact, they can often be heavy in view of the depositing of bottles and the like. The new campaigns to recycle such refuse has been accompanied by numerous complaints from workers regarding backache. This has resulted in claims for compensation for back pains and reduction of productive work time.
The back strain problem is believed by the inventor to derive largely from the configuration and location of the box handles which make lifting very awkward. The boxes are customary left on pavement and a worker must stoop to raise the boxes. Tipping torques arise owing to uneven distribution of weight in the box which are borne by the worker's back. Additionally, these boxes have a bottom construction intended permit limited discharge of liquids from received containers. Many have a bottom construction in which the interior is formed with upwardly deflected rectangular portions. These are separated in the interior of the box by narrow channels which are intended to receive a limited amount of liquid and are formed with drainage apertures to discharge excess liquid. The arrangement represents a compromise: it is undesirable to subject a householder to leakage when the box is indoors, but a worker should not be subjected to the weight of an undue accumulation of liquids. The construction tends to trap discharged liquids beneath the box, which in colder regions results in freezing of the box to pavement. Back strain occurs when a worker attempts to lift the box and the box sticks to the pavement.